Balagha Time Day 44-47: Surah Anbiya (CH 21: 51-56)
Balagha Time Day 44-47: Surah Anbiya (CH 21: 51-56)
Balagha Time Day 44-47: Surah Anbiya (CH 21: 51-56)
Main topic: Ibrahim (as)questioning his father and his people about
the idols they worshipped
Background story
Even before the Prophet (pbuh) received his prophethood, the
Mushrikun of Arabia had great respect for the kaa’ba. Why was that
the case?
We know why the Ka’ba is important to us, but why to the Mushrikun
of Arabia at that time?
Ayah 51
Allah swt is talking to the Mushrikun as if they have rejected
Ibrahim (as), even though they had great respect for him culturally.
Note that a LOT of emphasis has been used in the Ayah, a way to
show a person that their concept/thinking is not the correct one.
َشدَ هُ مِنْ َق ْبل ُ َو ُك َّنا ِب ِه َعالِمِين
ْ َو َل َقدْ َءا َت ْي َنا ِإ ْب َراهِي َم ُر
َ َعالِمis
ِين from سمعfam
Ism Faail has been used: The person who
سا ِم ٌع: عالِ ٌم: عالِ ِمي َْن: knows
:Rough translation
And For sure, we gave Ibrahim his guidance from way before and “
”.we were, regarding him, the knowers
Allah swt could have used ماضِ to say “We knew about him” But
instead he used a Jumlah Ismiyya() ُك َّناby dropping another ism in it
(Ism fail ِين
َ )عالِم.
َ The point being using an ism has a stronger impact
that using a Fi’l.
mb which what
َِإ ْذ َقال َ َأِل ِبي ِه َو َق ْو ِم ِه َما َه ِذ ِه ال َّت َماثِيل ُ الَّتِي َأ ْن ُت ْم َل َها َعا ِكفُون
Y’ Harf of atif
Pointer + AL: َقال َ ِل said to
Feminine
pointer used:
It can be
pointing to a
“What are these idols?”
This is a question. In Balagha there are several implications behind a
question;
1. To display various emotions
2. To belittle the person
3. Questioning the choice of someone- Indirectly asking them to
choose other options. In this case, the question can be acting as
AMR (command)
Allah was guiding him with courage and bravery to ask such a
question in front of all these people.
Now the people of Ibrahim as knew if they engaged in this
conversation, they would feel dumber and dumber. They were smart
enough to know that they can’t approach this question with logic and
reasoning. So they resorted to emotional arguments by linking it to
respecting their forefathers.
Ayah 53 For We
اء َنا َل َها
ََع ِابدِينthem َقالُوا َو َجدْ َنا
َ َءا َبfound
worshi Our They
Pay super attention ppers
to this
fathers said
Question: What are these images that you're meditating and
praying before?
Answer: We found our fathers worshipping them.
That's not an answer to ‘what’ but to ‘why’.
They understood that Ibrahim was actually asking why and the Why
cannot be common sense. So they went with ‘if you love and respect
your forefathers then.....’
All of this pointing to Ibrahim being the problem, they are playing
a psychological trick reversing Ibrahim as initial questions about
them being wrong, putting him to a sort of loyalty test. And so,
Ibrahim as is isolated as he is up against his own family and his
people.
“For sure, I swear by, there is no doubt about it, all of you were,
ALL OF YOU and YOUR fathers were and have been in .......”
ضلَّ ُة
َ ُض ٌّل مُضِ ٌّل ُم
َ م
An understandable word
No confusion Helps you understand
Itself
something else,
When you put a word in the أسْ لَ َمsomething that
family, the meaning you’re
becomes
about something else and not the self, like a clarifying word.
ين
ٍ ُم ِب,hence, here means clarifying
Ayah 56
ض ا َّلذِي َف َط َرهُنَّ َوَأ َنا ِ َاواTo
ِ ت َواَأْل ْر الس َم
َّ ب ُّ َقال َ َبلْ َر ُّب ُك ْم َر Your master
create/fashion/mol
ISM Faail َّ الwho
َشا ِهدِين ََع َلى َذلِ ُك ْم مِن
Well Actually,
d Rather, Instead-
has been Used to contrast
used –
From َسمِع
Usually, 1F Master of the sky
should have and the earth
been used but
3F has been
Rough translation
ِ ُِّت َول
Y’all turn يان ُت َولّ ْو َن ُْت َولِّي
away
Rough translation
And I swear by Allah, for sure I will
scheme against y’all idols after y’all
turned away, showing your backs.